Home invasion shooting investigation continues

By Liz Markhlevskayalmark@fosters.com

Wednesday

Jan 16, 2013 at 3:15 AM

LEBANON, Maine — The man struck in the shoulder and chest by a bullet last week remains hospitalized, as police follow up on leads in their search for the suspect who reportedly invaded the home at 11 2nd Street.

Police say 41-year-old Richard Potorski returned home for lunch on Jan. 8 to find an intruder, who shot Potorski before fleeing in the victim’s Ford Explorer.

State Police Lt. Brian McDonough said the single bullet struck both the shoulder and chest of Potorski, whose injuries are considered significant.

“Anybody who gets a bullet wound through the shoulder and through the chest has a serious (injury),” said McDonough.

He would not get into specifics as to the angle of the bullet, or how the single bullet struck both the chest and the shoulder of the victim.

On Tuesday, Potorski remained hospitalized and sedated at Maine Medical Center, and police had not yet conducted an interview with him, said McDonough.

According to Stephen McCausland, public information officer for State Police, the shooting is believed to have occurred around noontime, based on the information given to police by Potorski’s wife, who had spoken to the victim.

Potorski’s wife came home around 1:30 p.m. the day of the shooting, and called 911 around 1:45 p.m., after finding her husband injured in the bathroom.

McCausland said he did not know whether Potorski was conscious between the time of the shooting and the time the 911 call was made. He said he would not go into specifics on why Potorski did not call 911 himself, or whether he was too injured to make the phone call.

McCausland said that Potorski and his wife had a child, who lived with them but was at school when the shooting occurred. McDonough said he believes the child is an 11-year-old girl.

Police say that Potorski and the shooter were the only ones at the residence during the incident, and there were no known witnesses.

Police would not release what kind of weapon they believe was used in the shooting. The weapon has not been recovered, said McDonough.

So far, no suspects have been identified in relation to the case.

“We’ve got some leads we are following up on but I can’t get into specifics,” said McDonough.

Police are still piecing together the timeline of the events leading up to the shooting, and it’s still unclear what occurred between the time that Potorski found the intruder and the time of the shooting.

The suspect fled the scene in Potorski’s black Ford Explorer after firing the bullet. The vehicle was found by police about an hour later. It was abandoned behind the Big Lots retail store in Rochester, N.H., blocking a loading dock.

McCausland would not comment on any surveillance footage that may have been recovered from the Big Lots area.

McDonough said the State Police are now conducting a victimology study, involving interviews with Potorski’s friends, family, acquaintances, and work associates. Through these interviews, police are hoping to compile full information on Potorski’s background, and “anything that would have possibly give us a clue to what could have brought that type of attention to that house and the victim.”

According to McDonough, Potorski had been working in the automobile service industry before the shooting.

Potorski also has a criminal history. In York County Superior Court in 2011, he was sentenced to 364 days in jail, with all but 60 days suspended, for a drug trafficking charge. Asked if the Jan. 8 crime may have been drug-related, McDonough previously told Foster’s that officials “haven’t ruled anything out.”

He said police are still unsure whether Potorski knew the shooter.

Police would not say whether the shooter is believed to have broken into the home, or whether the intruder entered the home without using force. McCausland said the motive for the shooting is still under investigation.

He said for now, police are investigating the case as a home invasion.

So far, police have conducted forensic work at the house where the shooting occurred, and have submitted physical evidence from the home and the Ford Explorer to the Maine State Police Crime Lab.

McDonough said that while “this is a priority case,” it could still take several weeks for the physical evidence to get processed through the lab.

McCausland said he would not speculate on what charges the suspect would face if apprehended.

The bulk of the active investigation is being undertaken by Maine State Police, who are working with York County Sheriff’s Office and Rochester Police Department on the case.

Staff writer Samantha Allen contributed to this report.

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